Good News for the Day

Greg Abbott Betrays Texas Voters For Tom DeLay

If there were any question whether Greg Abbott's loyalty was to the Texas voters or the Republican Party of Texas, that question has been definitively answered. Abbott has sold out Texans to serve the selfish political special interests Tom DeLay and the Texas Republican Party.

As many will recall, § 145.036(b) of the Texas Election Code requires that a political party's

"executive committee may make a replacement nomination following a withdrawal only if:
(1) the candidate:
(A) withdraws because of a catastrophic illness that was diagnosed after the 62nd day before general primary election day and the illness would permanently and continuously incapacitate the candidate and prevent the candidate from performing the duties of the office sought; and
(B) files with the withdrawal request a certificate describing the illness and signed by at least two licensed physicians;
(2) no political party that held primary elections has a nominee for the office sought by the withdrawing candidate as of the time of the withdrawal; or
(3) the candidate has been elected or appointed to fill a vacancy in another elective office or has become the nominee for another office."

Consistent with the pattern of conduct throughout his political career, Tom DeLay presumed that he was above this law. DeLay waited until shortly after both parties completed their primaries and only then announced that he was withdrawing from the race with these words:

"After many weeks of personal prayerful thinking and analysis, I have come to the conclusion that it is time to close this public service chapter of my life. It's time to begin opening new chapters and pursuing new opportunities to engage in the important cultural and political battles of our day from outside the arena of the U.S. House of Representatives.... So today, I am announcing my intention to resign my seat in the House."

Despite the fact that the Texas Election Code clearly mandates that a political party cannot replace a candidate on the ballot when the candidate withdraws after the primary, the Texas GOP and DeLay nevertheless sought to manufacture an excuse to replace DeLay on the ballot. Republican federal Judge Sam Sparks rejected the Texas GOP/DeLay attempt to violate the Texas Election Code, and Judge Sparks's opinion set out his reasons clearly:

"Were the Court to adopt the Defendant's position, either political party could and would be able to change candidates after the primary election and before the general election simply by an administrative declaration of ineligibility by the party chair based on a candidate's "move" to another state. This would be a serious abuse of the election system and a fraud on the voters, which the Court will not condone."
...
"Political acumen, strategy, and manufactured evidence, even combined with sound policy in mind, cannot override the Constitution. The evidence presented in this case provides no basis for Benkiser’s declaration that Tom DeLay was not eligible to remain the nominee of the republican Party under state or federal law… there is no evidence that DeLay will still be living in Virginia tomorrow, let alone on November 7, 2006, the only day that matters under the Qualification Clause of the United States Constitution. DeLay himself testified that he does not know what will happen with his life in November, stating only that he plans to continue living in Virginia "indefinitely.'"
...
"The Constitution 'nullifies sophisticated as well as simple-minded modes' of infringing on constitutional protections."

Of course, neither the clear language of the Texas Election Code nor the well reasoned analysis of Judge Sparks's opinion were sufficient to convince DeLay that Texas laws apply to him just as they apply to everyone else in Texas. So DeLay and the Texas GOP brought this issue to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In the Fifth Circuit, the Court received a brief on Texas election law from several members of the 68th Texas Legislature, which is the Legislature that passed the election laws which DeLay is trying to break. Among these many Legislators and former Legislators, one of those who filed this brief was Joe Hernandez, who was the House sponsor of the very law DeLay is trying to violate.

The Legislators confirmed that the Texas Election Code was drafted with the specific intention of preventing the exact abuse of the electoral process that DeLay was seeking to perpetrate:

"The Republican Party of Texas here is attempting to accomplish the very act the Texas Legislature sought to prevent - thwarting the will of voters. As the district court noted in its opinion, allowing political parties to replace nominees who simply withdraw, decline the nomination, or otherwise make themselves unavailable would likely result in abuses in the political process and thwarting the selections of primary voters."

Interestingly, the Legislators' brief also reminds the Fifth Circuit that DeLay was a member of the Texas House of Representatives when this bill passed on a voice vote with only two "no" votes, and DeLay was not one of the two votes against the law he is now seeking to violate.

How does this attempted violation of Texas election laws by Tom DeLay and the Republican Party of Texas relate to Greg Abbott?

Clearly, Judge Sparks has identified and documented "a serious abuse of the election system and a fraud on the voters" which would "infringe on constitutional protections" of the voters' right to elect their candidates through the primary process. In addition, members of the 68th Texas Legislature which passed these protections confirmed that "the Republican Party of Texas here is attempting to accomplish the very act the Texas Legislature sought to prevent - thwarting the will of voters."

In this context, Texans might expect that the Texas Attorney General would file a brief in this case. And, true enough, Abbott's office did file a brief in this case.

However, the brief for Abbott's Texas Attorney General's office does not support the voters of Texas and - instead - supports the Texas GOP and Tom DeLay against the voters of Texas!

Greg Abbott should be ashamed!

Now, The Fifth Circuit just issued an opinion rejecting the Texas Republican Party's effort to steal the voters' right to select a congressional candidate through the primary system. The appellate court held that:

"There is evidence that Benkiser did not act reasonably and with political neutrality when she declared DeLay ineligible. Indeed, the district court’s description of the events surrounding the letter sent by DeLay imply, at the very least, a lack of neutrality."

In the context of this holding by an appeals court dominated by Republicans, we must ask WHY DID GREG ABBOTT'S ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE FILE A BRIEF IN FAVOR OF AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACTION WHICH WAS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED?

The Fifth Circuit went on to hold that

"we fail to see how removing DeLay from the ballot would protect the voters, inasmuch as it was the voters themselves who selected DeLay as the Republican candidate for the general election."

In light of this holding, we must ask WHY DID GREG ABBOTT'S ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE FILE A BRIEF IN FAVOR OF AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACTION WHICH WOULD NOT PROTECT THE VOTERS OF TEXAS?

There can be only one answer to these questions.

Greg Abbott places his own political interests and the special interests of Tom DeLay and the Texas Republican Party above the interests of Texans.

It is time for Greg Abbott to take his dog and pony show back on the road. I had to deal with his office during a recent hearing at the request of my Ex and her husband. It was the worst thing that I have ever witnessed. My ex decided she and her husband wanted more child support for my son. I had to hire an attorney (Bad Idea), but the AG's office is nothing more than a mortgage company. The representative for the AG,s office said that I was going to pay an additional amount. I refused to sign the papers because I know that they were going to screw me. When I refused to sign the papers the representative for the AG 's office turned red in the face. He was shocked. He then proceeded to lower the amount that he requested. I said hell no. He and my lifeless attorney both became somewhat angry. What I see is that fathers that are payingchild supports are being hauled in, and paraded before the courts like animals. I didnt do anything wrong, and I felt that the only thing Greg Abbott is after is Money. I had copies of canceled money orders, and checks that I had given to her for my son (Extra money), not including the child support, but the AG's office wouldnt even look at them. I see why people go off and blow Government Buildings. I dont think its right,but the human body can take only so much bull. The reason he is in office is for the sympathy vote. He is still the republican parts state flunky. I think the Texas attorney Generals office should track down the parents that havent paid rather than attempt to put the good fathers under the freeway. We are hading out leaflets to rid Texas of this Clown

If you expect to be represented by Attorney General Greg Abbott in ANY of his capacities at the Office of the Attorney General, please send your campaign contributions ($50,000 and up for expedited assistance, $1 million for an Audience with the pope and $1.2 million for a favorable opinion) to Texans for Greg Abbott.

Otherwise, get lost.